We explain what a programming language is and how they can be classified. Also, some examples of these programs.
What is a programming language?
In computing, it is known as a programming language. a program intended for the construction of other computer programs. Its name is due to the fact that it includes a formal language that is designed to organize algorithms and logical processes that will then be carried out by a computer or computer system, thus allowing the control of its physical and logical behavior and its communication with the human user.
said language It is composed of symbols and syntactic and semantic rules expressed in the form of instructions and logical relationships, through which the source code of a specific application or piece of software is built. Thus, the final result of these creative processes can also be called a programming language.
The implementation of programming languages allows joint and coordinated work through an affine and finite set of possible instructions, from various programmers or software architects, for which these languages imitate, at least formally, the logic of human or natural languages.
They should not be confused, however, with the different types of computer language. The latter represent a much broader category, which includes programming languages and many other computer protocols, such as the HTML of web pages.
See also: CPU
Types of programming language
Normally a distinction is made between the following types of programming languages:
- Low level languages These are programming languages that are designed for specific hardware and therefore cannot be migrated or exported to other computers. They make the most of the system for which they were designed, but they do not apply to any other.
- High level languages These are programming languages that aspire to be a more universal language, so they can be used regardless of the hardware architecture, that is, in various types of systems. There are general purpose and specific purpose ones.
- Intermediate level languages This term is not always accepted, as it proposes programming languages that are located at a midpoint between the previous two: it allows high-level operations and at the same time local management of the system architecture.
Another way of classification is often the following:
- Imperative languages Less flexible, given the sequentiality in which they construct their instructions, these languages program using conditional commands and a block of commands to which they return once the function has been carried out.
- Functional languages Also called procedural, these languages program using functions that are invoked according to the input received, which in turn are the result of other functions.
Examples of programming languages
Some of the best known programming languages are:
- BASIC Its name comes from the acronym of Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic instruction code (General Purpose Instruction Symbolic Code for Beginners), and is a family of high-level imperative languages, first appearing in 1964. Its most current version is Visual Basic .NET.
- COBOL His name is an acronym for Common Business-Oriented Language (Common business-oriented language) and it is a universal programming language created in 1959, mainly aimed at management, that is, business, computing.
- FORTRAN Its name comes from The IBM Mathematical Formula Translating system (IBM's mathematical formula translation system), and is a high-level, general-purpose, imperative-type programming language designed for scientific and engineering applications.
- Java. A general-purpose, object-oriented programming language, whose spirit is summarized in the acronym WORA: Written Eleven, Run Anywherethat is: Written once, works anywhere. The idea was to design a universal language using syntax derived from the C and C++ languages, but using fewer low-level utilities than either.
